OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Strong thunderstorms that raked eastern Nebraska and western Iowa dumped heavy rain and, in southwest Omaha, piles of hail that left some motorists temporarily stranded.
Western Nebraska was first to endure the storms Monday night, with hail larger than 2 inches in diameter reported west of Ogallala. The Omaha World-Herald reported dozens of cars pulled off Interstate 80 with broken windshields. North Platte also received reports of baseball-sized hail.
Early Tuesday morning, the storm moved into Lincoln and Omaha, dropping nearly 2 inches of rain in a little more than an hour. Southwest Omaha also saw large amounts of hail that piled up on streets that brought out at least one city snowplow to clear the mess. About 8,000 Omaha Public Power District customers lost power.
In Council Bluffs, Iowa, a number of streets flooded as more than 2 inches of rain fell there overnight. Flash flood warnings were issued there and for areas around Lincoln and Omaha.